| This site created and maintained by Jeremy Dunklin. cowboy-fan.com is in no way affiliated with the NFL or the Dallas Cowboys. All material on this site is copyrighted 2007 cowboys-fan.com |
 | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Latest News
2007 SCHEDULE
PRE-SEASON
Thu Aug 9 INDIANAPOLIS
(FOX) 7:00 pm
Sat Aug 18 DENVER (BSM)
7:00 pm
Sat Aug 25 @ Houston
(BSM) 7:00 pm
Thu Aug 30 @ Minnesota
(BSM) 7:00 pm
REGULAR SEASON
1. Sun, Sept. 9 NY GIANTS
(NBC) 7:15 pm
2. Sun, Sept. 16 @ Miami
(FOX) 3:05 pm
3. Sun, Sept. 23 @
Chicago (NBC) 7:15 pm
4. Sun, Sept. 30 ST. LOUIS
(FOX) Noon
5. Mon, Oct. 8 @ Buffalo
(ESPN) 7:30 pm
6. Sun, Oct. 14 NEW
ENGLAND (CBS) 3:15 pm
7. Sun, Oct. 21
MINNESOTA (FOX) Noon
8. Sun, Oct. 28 BYE WEEK
9. Sun, Nov 4 @
Philadelphia (NBC) 7:15
pm
10. Sun, Nov. 11 @ NY
Giants (FOX) 3:15 pm
11. Sun, Nov. 18
WASHINGTON (FOX) Noon
12. Thu, Nov. 22 NY JETS
(CBS) 3:15 pm
13. Thu, Nov. 29 GREEN
BAY (NFL) 7:15 pm
14. Sun, Dec. 9 @ Detroit
(FOX) Noon
15. Sun, Dec. 16 PHILLY
(FOX) 3:15 pm
16. Sat, Dec. 22 @
Carolina (NFL) 7:15 pm
17. Sun, Dec. 30 @
Washington (FOX) Noon
PRE-SEASON
Thu Aug 9 INDIANAPOLIS
(FOX) 7:00 pm
Sat Aug 18 DENVER (BSM)
7:00 pm
Sat Aug 25 @ Houston
(BSM) 7:00 pm
Thu Aug 30 @ Minnesota
(BSM) 7:00 pm
REGULAR SEASON
1. Sun, Sept. 9 NY GIANTS
(NBC) 7:15 pm
2. Sun, Sept. 16 @ Miami
(FOX) 3:05 pm
3. Sun, Sept. 23 @
Chicago (NBC) 7:15 pm
4. Sun, Sept. 30 ST. LOUIS
(FOX) Noon
5. Mon, Oct. 8 @ Buffalo
(ESPN) 7:30 pm
6. Sun, Oct. 14 NEW
ENGLAND (CBS) 3:15 pm
7. Sun, Oct. 21
MINNESOTA (FOX) Noon
8. Sun, Oct. 28 BYE WEEK
9. Sun, Nov 4 @
Philadelphia (NBC) 7:15
pm
10. Sun, Nov. 11 @ NY
Giants (FOX) 3:15 pm
11. Sun, Nov. 18
WASHINGTON (FOX) Noon
12. Thu, Nov. 22 NY JETS
(CBS) 3:15 pm
13. Thu, Nov. 29 GREEN
BAY (NFL) 7:15 pm
14. Sun, Dec. 9 @ Detroit
(FOX) Noon
15. Sun, Dec. 16 PHILLY
(FOX) 3:15 pm
16. Sat, Dec. 22 @
Carolina (NFL) 7:15 pm
17. Sun, Dec. 30 @
Washington (FOX) Noon
| Cowboy's Trivia Question of the Week! Who is the oldest player on the Cowboys' roster? Last Week's Answer: Danny White |
Tim's Talk: Week 2
1. I remember back in 1997, the Cowboys opened the season by
tearing up the Pittsburgh Steelers 37-7 I believe. This was Barry
Switzer's last year as coach and Steelers QB Kordell Stewart first
ever start after the "Slash" experiment. The Bucs later that day
beat the SF 49ers 10-6 and Steve Young was knocked out of the
game with a concussion and Jerry Rice was knocked out with a
knee injury. So what as a fan was I to think? Stewart would not pan
out as a starter in this league and the 49ers would finally dwindle
to the cellar of the NFC West division, and plus the Cowboys would
have another Super Bowl run. Well, Stewart turned out to be a
decent starter that year and led the Steelers to the AFC title game
and the 49ers overcame Rice's injury and Young did not miss a
game the rest of the year and mad the Pro Bowl. The Cowboys?
They wound up struggling on both sides of the ball that year,
Emmitt Smith scored a season low 4 touchdowns and the Cowboys
finished 6-10. This would lead to Switzers' firing. So what point am I
making? It is only 1 game folks. You can't put a lot of merit into it.
After a month into the season, I think you can start separating the
playoff contenders and the pretenders. A lot of media are picking
at the collapse of the defense and the performance of Tony Romo
and making their season predictions. Back off people and just save
it for when it really counts.
2. So let me give you my analysis of the game. The offense was
spectacular and I see a lot of flashes of Romo as a born leader.
Early in the game there seemed to be miscommunication between
him and TO on some passing plays intended for him and he made
was the interception but he was able to comeback from that and
finish the game off. It seems like the Cowboys can I feel he put the
botched snap behind him and he is ready to lead this team. The
only thing is that off. coordinator Jason Garrett must be going
through his playbook and mix up the schemes and plays a lot
because that is what I felt ultimately crippled the Cowboys last
year. They became too predictable. Garrett showed he could call a
game and without QB coach Wade Wilson, he seemed to do fine.
Let us see though if he is able to make adjustments as the games
go on.
3. Terry Glenn's injury does not concern me as much. I remember
the 1995 season where Kevin Williams lined up opposite Michael
Irvin and Irvin caught a Cowboy record number of catches. But I
saw how the Cowboys were making adjustments to get TO open
and whenever they sent that safety to double him, TE Jason Witten
was on single coverage and able to move the ball downfield as a
result. So when the Giants adjusted, TO wound up on single
coverage in the second half and burned the Giants. I am not
saying we would not be better off without Glenn, we need him to
make matchups difficult. What I am saying is, it is not a cause for
concern. Besides, Patrick Crayton has worked mostly with the first
team since Glenn went out with an injury and has a better
chemistry, at least at the moment with Tony Romo.
4. Was the Cowboys offense that good or the Giants defense that
bad? I can't say. Michael Strahan, unlike others who missed
training camp, looked rusty. Plus it seemed like all the Giant
players kept getting hurt to the poitn I think the Cowboys injuries
look not nearly as bad.
5. The Cowboys injury that concerns me is Jason Ferguson and of
course Terence Newman. There are just not a lot of backup NTs
out there to get picked up. Jay Ratliff filled in okay and will probably
be there most of this year but he is not a nose tackle and will
eventually show as the season goes on. I felt that Newman should
not have played and glad he did not. He will be bothered by that
heel injury all season until he has surgery or rests it in the
offseaon. But it was not worth him coming back so soon and risking
damaging it further by playing him too early. I have already said
that I never believed Greg Ellis was going to play this year so I
have moved on as far as Greg Ellis is concerned.
6. Well what about that defense? Again just like the offense, it was
just one game. I mean most people do not believe that the
Cowboys will score 45 per game, so I don't expect the Boys to give
up 35 a game over the season as well. They will have to make
adjustments and figure out a way to disrupt a QB. The Giants
pretty much kept picking up the blitz and no one could really get to
Eli Manning. Plus even though I don't feel he did as bad as people
say, Jacques Reeves will be picked on especially when he is lined
up with Roy Williams as a double team coverage. There is no way.
That is why Newman needs to come back, because a hurt Newman
will still be better than a healthy Jacques Reeves. I think Reeves
will be a fine nickel back but he is not cut to be a starter. And of
course wit is no secret Williams cannot do squat on pass coverage.
7. Just a fact that will probably only interest me. Wade Phillips
wherever he was a coach, had great or good offenses but the
defense always seemed to struggle. I think that Phillips did not
have the players that he has on this Cowboys defense and with
time, the defense will develop and play better. Just give it time. It
was the first game.
8. At least the Cowboys can rest easy on the kicker situation. Nick
Folk did a decent job.
9. No TO drama. I about expected an outburst because he did not
have a catch in the first half but he seemed like a boy scout at the
press conference. And also something John Madden said about
you need to get TO involved early in the game or else he is not as
good a player. I am sorry but if this is the case, then TO needs to
grow up and just respect the fact that they are trying to give him
the ball.
1. I remember back in 1997, the Cowboys opened the season by
tearing up the Pittsburgh Steelers 37-7 I believe. This was Barry
Switzer's last year as coach and Steelers QB Kordell Stewart first
ever start after the "Slash" experiment. The Bucs later that day
beat the SF 49ers 10-6 and Steve Young was knocked out of the
game with a concussion and Jerry Rice was knocked out with a
knee injury. So what as a fan was I to think? Stewart would not pan
out as a starter in this league and the 49ers would finally dwindle
to the cellar of the NFC West division, and plus the Cowboys would
have another Super Bowl run. Well, Stewart turned out to be a
decent starter that year and led the Steelers to the AFC title game
and the 49ers overcame Rice's injury and Young did not miss a
game the rest of the year and mad the Pro Bowl. The Cowboys?
They wound up struggling on both sides of the ball that year,
Emmitt Smith scored a season low 4 touchdowns and the Cowboys
finished 6-10. This would lead to Switzers' firing. So what point am I
making? It is only 1 game folks. You can't put a lot of merit into it.
After a month into the season, I think you can start separating the
playoff contenders and the pretenders. A lot of media are picking
at the collapse of the defense and the performance of Tony Romo
and making their season predictions. Back off people and just save
it for when it really counts.
2. So let me give you my analysis of the game. The offense was
spectacular and I see a lot of flashes of Romo as a born leader.
Early in the game there seemed to be miscommunication between
him and TO on some passing plays intended for him and he made
was the interception but he was able to comeback from that and
finish the game off. It seems like the Cowboys can I feel he put the
botched snap behind him and he is ready to lead this team. The
only thing is that off. coordinator Jason Garrett must be going
through his playbook and mix up the schemes and plays a lot
because that is what I felt ultimately crippled the Cowboys last
year. They became too predictable. Garrett showed he could call a
game and without QB coach Wade Wilson, he seemed to do fine.
Let us see though if he is able to make adjustments as the games
go on.
3. Terry Glenn's injury does not concern me as much. I remember
the 1995 season where Kevin Williams lined up opposite Michael
Irvin and Irvin caught a Cowboy record number of catches. But I
saw how the Cowboys were making adjustments to get TO open
and whenever they sent that safety to double him, TE Jason Witten
was on single coverage and able to move the ball downfield as a
result. So when the Giants adjusted, TO wound up on single
coverage in the second half and burned the Giants. I am not
saying we would not be better off without Glenn, we need him to
make matchups difficult. What I am saying is, it is not a cause for
concern. Besides, Patrick Crayton has worked mostly with the first
team since Glenn went out with an injury and has a better
chemistry, at least at the moment with Tony Romo.
4. Was the Cowboys offense that good or the Giants defense that
bad? I can't say. Michael Strahan, unlike others who missed
training camp, looked rusty. Plus it seemed like all the Giant
players kept getting hurt to the poitn I think the Cowboys injuries
look not nearly as bad.
5. The Cowboys injury that concerns me is Jason Ferguson and of
course Terence Newman. There are just not a lot of backup NTs
out there to get picked up. Jay Ratliff filled in okay and will probably
be there most of this year but he is not a nose tackle and will
eventually show as the season goes on. I felt that Newman should
not have played and glad he did not. He will be bothered by that
heel injury all season until he has surgery or rests it in the
offseaon. But it was not worth him coming back so soon and risking
damaging it further by playing him too early. I have already said
that I never believed Greg Ellis was going to play this year so I
have moved on as far as Greg Ellis is concerned.
6. Well what about that defense? Again just like the offense, it was
just one game. I mean most people do not believe that the
Cowboys will score 45 per game, so I don't expect the Boys to give
up 35 a game over the season as well. They will have to make
adjustments and figure out a way to disrupt a QB. The Giants
pretty much kept picking up the blitz and no one could really get to
Eli Manning. Plus even though I don't feel he did as bad as people
say, Jacques Reeves will be picked on especially when he is lined
up with Roy Williams as a double team coverage. There is no way.
That is why Newman needs to come back, because a hurt Newman
will still be better than a healthy Jacques Reeves. I think Reeves
will be a fine nickel back but he is not cut to be a starter. And of
course wit is no secret Williams cannot do squat on pass coverage.
7. Just a fact that will probably only interest me. Wade Phillips
wherever he was a coach, had great or good offenses but the
defense always seemed to struggle. I think that Phillips did not
have the players that he has on this Cowboys defense and with
time, the defense will develop and play better. Just give it time. It
was the first game.
8. At least the Cowboys can rest easy on the kicker situation. Nick
Folk did a decent job.
9. No TO drama. I about expected an outburst because he did not
have a catch in the first half but he seemed like a boy scout at the
press conference. And also something John Madden said about
you need to get TO involved early in the game or else he is not as
good a player. I am sorry but if this is the case, then TO needs to
grow up and just respect the fact that they are trying to give him
the ball.
The One Guy We Can't Lose
Injuries are already taking a big toll on the 2007 Dallas Cowboys.
The start of this season makes me realize just how much has to go
right to win a championship. You can have the best team in the
NFL going into the season and not even make the playoffs because
of injuries.
For the most part teams can overcome injuries as long as they
aren't certain players. Every team has injuries so missing a player
here and there isn't going to kill you. We are currently missing four
starters who have significant, three of which are one defense.
Ferguson is out for the season, but the other three guys have
chances to come back.
Greg Ellis is an important part of our defense. I would like to have
him back because we need all the pass rush we can get. That
being said, we are fine without him. Anthony Spencer played pretty
well last week and he is nearly as good as a healthy Ellis is. By the
end of the season he will be the better player.
Terry Glenn is a big part of our offense. He gives us another
speed guy to team up with Terrell Owens. You could see last week
though that we won't miss him if he can't come back. Now, I sure as
heck hopes he can play this season, but our offense will be fine
without him. The reality is, we have too many weapons on offense
when everyone is healthy. We really didn't have enough balls to go
around last season. Witten and Crayton could have had way
bigger numbers if they would have gotten the chance. No Glenn
just means more catches to Witten and Crayton without much if any
drop in overall offensive production.
Nose tackle is my second biggest worry. Jay Ratliff will be fine. He
isn't a true nose tackle, but he is a good football player and that is
all that matters. He will make tons of plays from the nose even if he
gets pushed back every once in awhile. He is by far the best
defensive lineman on our current 53-man roster. The problem is
his backup. Ratliff will wear down so we need a reliable backup.
Hopefully Remi Ayodele will be decent and I think he can be. If not,
I'd be dialing up Tank Johnson's number in seven weeks. I know he
has character issues, but if he is the missing piece to the Super
Bowl puzzle why not take a chance on him?
Well, here we are. Who is the one guy we can't afford to lose?
The answer is Terrence Newman. We absolutely have to have this
guy. Without him our secondary consists of below average
cornerbacks and below average cover safeties. The scary part
about his injury is that we might have already lost him. Newman will
come back, but he might be hobbled the rest of the season.
Newman at 80% is better than any of our other cornerbacks, but
hopefully he can get closer to 100%.
I've put a lot of thought into this and I can only think of one other
player that would truly wreck our season. Guys like DeMarcus
Ware or Flozell Adams would sting, but we could blitz more or give
more help to the left tackle if we had to. They would hurt, but we
could still win. Tony Romo is the other guy we can't do without.
Brad Johnson would do fine if we had a good defense, but it
appears we are going to need to score a lot of points this season
and Johnson couldn't do that for us. Johnson would specialize at
winning the 20-17 games and I don't think that would get us very
deep into the post-season.
Injuries are already taking a big toll on the 2007 Dallas Cowboys.
The start of this season makes me realize just how much has to go
right to win a championship. You can have the best team in the
NFL going into the season and not even make the playoffs because
of injuries.
For the most part teams can overcome injuries as long as they
aren't certain players. Every team has injuries so missing a player
here and there isn't going to kill you. We are currently missing four
starters who have significant, three of which are one defense.
Ferguson is out for the season, but the other three guys have
chances to come back.
Greg Ellis is an important part of our defense. I would like to have
him back because we need all the pass rush we can get. That
being said, we are fine without him. Anthony Spencer played pretty
well last week and he is nearly as good as a healthy Ellis is. By the
end of the season he will be the better player.
Terry Glenn is a big part of our offense. He gives us another
speed guy to team up with Terrell Owens. You could see last week
though that we won't miss him if he can't come back. Now, I sure as
heck hopes he can play this season, but our offense will be fine
without him. The reality is, we have too many weapons on offense
when everyone is healthy. We really didn't have enough balls to go
around last season. Witten and Crayton could have had way
bigger numbers if they would have gotten the chance. No Glenn
just means more catches to Witten and Crayton without much if any
drop in overall offensive production.
Nose tackle is my second biggest worry. Jay Ratliff will be fine. He
isn't a true nose tackle, but he is a good football player and that is
all that matters. He will make tons of plays from the nose even if he
gets pushed back every once in awhile. He is by far the best
defensive lineman on our current 53-man roster. The problem is
his backup. Ratliff will wear down so we need a reliable backup.
Hopefully Remi Ayodele will be decent and I think he can be. If not,
I'd be dialing up Tank Johnson's number in seven weeks. I know he
has character issues, but if he is the missing piece to the Super
Bowl puzzle why not take a chance on him?
Well, here we are. Who is the one guy we can't afford to lose?
The answer is Terrence Newman. We absolutely have to have this
guy. Without him our secondary consists of below average
cornerbacks and below average cover safeties. The scary part
about his injury is that we might have already lost him. Newman will
come back, but he might be hobbled the rest of the season.
Newman at 80% is better than any of our other cornerbacks, but
hopefully he can get closer to 100%.
I've put a lot of thought into this and I can only think of one other
player that would truly wreck our season. Guys like DeMarcus
Ware or Flozell Adams would sting, but we could blitz more or give
more help to the left tackle if we had to. They would hurt, but we
could still win. Tony Romo is the other guy we can't do without.
Brad Johnson would do fine if we had a good defense, but it
appears we are going to need to score a lot of points this season
and Johnson couldn't do that for us. Johnson would specialize at
winning the 20-17 games and I don't think that would get us very
deep into the post-season.